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World Cup winners Germany were greeted by hordes of cheering fans as they returned home for a victory parade in Berlin.

The team got a hero’s welcome by fans packing the centre of the German
capital as part of the homecoming for the victorious squad.

Many began arriving early for a chance to catch a glimpse of the football stars as they paraded down a stretch of road near the historic Brandenburg Gate nicknamed the “Fan Mile”.

The squad were welcomed by Berlin’s mayor as Chancellor Angela Merkel - who was in Rio de Janeiro for the final - was out of town.

Posting a picture online of himself in the cockpit of the team plane, forward Lukas Podolski wrote: “Welcome on board. Captain Podolski is speaking. We’re looking forward to seeing all our fans in Berlin!”

Sunday’s dramatic defeat of Argentina in extra time was Germany’s fourth World Cup triumph and the first since the reunification of East and West Germany in the early 1990s.

The win has been viewed by some as a new milestone for Germany, with newspapers and magazines heralding the nation’s strength without arrogance.

One publication, Zeit weekly said of this year’s tournament: “One could see Germans who could compete confidently without becoming presumptuous.

“They were conscious of their own strength but averse to any arrogance. That connects this team with our country.”

It has also boosted the Chancellor, who posed for photographs with the players in the dressing room after the match.

Such was the belief that Germany would emerge victorious it’s former state monopoly Deutsche Post printed five million stamps commemorating Germany’s fourth World Cup title after 1954, 1974 and 1990.

The two 47p stamps were presented just hours after Mario Gotze’s late goal sealed the 1-0 win.Had Germany lost to Argentina, the stamps would have had to be pulped.

They were ordered by Germany’s finance ministry, which holds 21 per cent of Deutsche Post’s shares through the state-owned KfW bank.

Meanwhile Fifa president Sepp Blatter gave Brazil a 9.25 out of 10 for organising a “very special” World Cup.